ICE agent appears to point gun at neighbor during tense North Hollywood arrest caught on camera

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES (KABC) — A video that has gone viral online shows masked ICE agents violently arresting a man in North Hollywood Friday morning.

This happened in front of the Ivy at the NOHO Apartments on Otsego Street.

The video shows the man handcuffed as ICE agents drag him to a vehicle. Three officers were seen lifting the man by his arms and legs as he screamed in pain.

The family of the arrested man identified him as Angel Luis Gonzalez Lobo, 27, from Venezuela. His brother said he did not know why he was arrested.

Shortly after, an officer approached a neighbor on the sidewalk while walking his two dogs, appearing to point the gun at his face and pushing him into a bush. The neighbor did not appear armed.

Just before the interaction, he picked up what appeared to be a can of pepper spray from the sidewalk, but quickly tossed it aside as officers rushed toward him, exclaiming, “I thought it was his!”

Neighbors say they are unhappy with how the situation has escalated.

“It was a no questions asked thing. They just attacked him and it was a fight in the bushes,” said witness Damari Butler.

Butler took out his camera and charged into the fight.

“The guy with the dogs intervened a little bit. The ICE agent pulled out a gun, backed him into the bushes with the gun pointed at his face, which was insane,” Butler said. “At this point, I’ll be honest with you, I thought that was the end for him.”

The officer eventually returned to the arrested man on the ground.

“At one point it looked like maybe they attacked him while he was on the ground and then they tried to tie him up and then they threw him in the truck,” Butler said.

A second car then stopped as officers attempted to get the man into the vehicle.

Meanwhile, the video shows the man and his two dogs picking up something else from the ground. An officer then rushes after him and tells the neighbor to put him down before emerging and spraying him with something.

“It was just very chaotic. It felt like no one really knew what they were doing on that side. It was just like, ‘If we have to use excessive force to get what we need, do it,'” Butler said.

Another witness said she was afraid for the man who was stopped by officers.

“Until you witness it, it’s really, really sad. It’s really sad that this is happening,” said neighbor Nancy. “Whether I was with my child or not, I was a little scared. I was scared for the man that was being dragged. I was scared for me and my son. I just didn’t feel safe leaving my building.”

Eyewitness News has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for more information, but has not yet received a response.

Meanwhile, the shocking video has prompted local leaders to demand answers.

Mayor Karen Bass released the following statement:

“This is unacceptable and will not be tolerated in Los Angeles. I am calling on the Attorney General’s Office to investigate and prosecute any wrongdoing by these federal agents. Additionally, I have referred this matter to the office of U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat who oversees federal immigration enforcement abuses.

We beat Trump and ICE in court, and new state laws implemented accountability measures for ICE agents to protect our communities.

City councilor and mayoral candidate Nithya Raman wrote the following on social media:

“I am outraged by reports of violent ICE kidnappings in North Hollywood. Los Angeles is not a playground for the Trump regime’s inhumane operations, and Angelenos should not have to live in fear of going to work, taking their children to school, or going about their lives.”